


It started with a rose.

by when_stars_shine



Category: ONEUS (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:29:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26714497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/when_stars_shine/pseuds/when_stars_shine
Summary: Hwanwoong finds rose petals suddenly everywhere he goes. Is it a threat or is someone trying to confess their feelings?
Relationships: Kim Youngjo | Ravn/Yeo Hwanwoong
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38
Collections: WEUS Harvest Moon Fest





	It started with a rose.

**Author's Note:**

> For the weus_fest  
> Thank you mods for being so patient

It started with a rose. A rose petal to be exact. On his lap, a single petal. Hwanwoong assumed it could have come from anywhere. A walk in the garden. One of the countless fresh flowers his mother likes to have around the palace. 

Some days later there was another on his sleeve.

He started to get worried when it appeared in one of the books he was reading. Instinctively he looked up to see if there was an arrangement of flowers above him but there was nothing.

When an attendant pulled one out of his headpiece one evening as we was getting ready for bed. His heart quickened.

"A rose petal?" He asked. "Do we have such roses in the garden?"

"I'm not sure, your grace."

He figured he should just ask his mother. But he didn't want to worry her because the occurrences seemed too often to be a coincidence. 

The petals were all the same shade of red. All from the same flower or same plant. He started mentally going through emblems and family crests that he could think of that had a prominent rose. None came to mind. 

He considered going to ask one of the scholars if they knew if any but at this hour they were most likely asleep. And he had a meeting with the ministers early next morning so he decided to wait until then. 

He didn't sleep a wink. He was starting to get paranoid. What if a petal appeared in his bedside? Granted that seemed a little too romantic to be a threat.   
In fact, flower petals themselves don't advertise a sense of warning or danger. They're soft and delicate. Fragile.  
A confession?

Now his mind was racing in the opposite direction.

It's not uncommon to receive confessions of love, indeed this wasn't his first time. They usually come in letters and notes. With beautiful calligraphy and artwork. If he saw a rose then he wouldn't be surprised.

\--

Why did ministers have to meet in ungodly hours of the morning? Or just morning in general. Hwanwoong could do noon. His father the king simply said he'd get used to it eventually. That may be the case but certainly not today when his mind has been preoccupied with who is responsible for the flower petals. 

He couldn't think if anyone particular. If it were a member of the Royal family they would simply tell him or his parents. Which they have and he had promptly said no.   
He had no time to deal with a relationship right now. Maybe in ten years when he's finally gotten used to things like his father likes to say.

He was curious nonetheless who his secret admirer might be. If indeed it was a secret admirer. 

\--

The meeting had gone longer than expected and it was now on a tangent from where it had started. He watched in admiration at his father's ability to handle every argument with nerves of steel. He was also slowly losing his concentration as it getting close to lunch time.   
He shifted in his seat and his eyes started to wander. He watched one of the side doors open and an attendant entered with a pile of books and maps in his hands.   
Out of sheer boredom he followed the attendant walk the length of the room along the wall.  
Then he spotted it. The rose.   
The attendant was ignored as his eyes lingered in the rose brooch on the front of the uniform of a... guard?   
He looked at the face if the man, who thankfully was busy watching the attendant finish his duties.  
A young man with very fine features. Probably around his age with a slim face and very bright eyes. Very pretty bright eyes.

Hwanwoong thought for moment. Had they met? He's familiar with a number of guards of the main palace. Some he knew by name. But this particular one, the one with the rose, he had never seen before.

He had something new to look at for the rest of the meeting. Every few minutes he would look at the guard in the corner, the more he looked the more handsome he got. He was now struck by the allure of the mystery. He knew nothing about the man and he couldn't ask anyone at the moment.

He tried his best to pay attention to the rest of the proceedings. He knew his father was going to quiz him about everything once they were in private and he was sure he'd fail in the second half because he had completely lost interest in the discussion. 

\- -

He stretched a tiny stretch when it was finally over. The ministers had just left and Hwanwoong watched as the guard still maintained his position. Good. 

He made an excuse to his father and promised to join him in a few minutes. He had something to take care of first. He was hoping the guard wasn't one of his father's men and as he pretended to be writing something he watched from the corner of his eye. The man did not move. Good. 

The room was emptier now. Attendants had just about finished clearing everything from the tables. All that were left was him and his men. Hwanwoong stood up and as soon as he did his entourage came to his side. He motioned for them to give him space and they stepped back. 

He walked up to the guard and could tell the closer he got the stiffer and more nervous the guard became. He stepped right up to him. It's no surprise that he was taller, almost all the men were. The guard was just as good looking up close as he was from a distance. His eyes were bigger and brighter than anyone Hwanwoong had ever seen, he always had a very unique set of lips. 

Hwanwoong slipped his hands from his pocket and held a rose petal in his fingers. He had kept it there since his was determined to find the owner since last night.

"Is this yours?" He asked the man.

The man look straight ahead. Aware not to make eye contact. He moved his eyes slightly to look at the petal then looked ahead. 

"Yes sir." Came the reply.

"Why?" Hwanwoong asked. It was short and succinct. He wanted to sound authoritative and commanding but in reality he just didn't know what to say. 

The man didn't move. 

"Now's your chance to say what you want to say." Hwanwoong told him. "You may not get another."

That was a lie.

Hwanwoong was already intrigued by the pretty bright eyed man.

"I think you're beautiful." The man finally said, in a soft but clear voice. "The rose pales in comparison to your beauty."

Hwanwoong smiled. He recoiled a little inside. 

"Thank you." He said politely, trying not to laugh. 

He appreciated the courage to say something like that, no matter how much it sound like a line from the most fantastical and indulgent of romantic literature.

"Next time just leave a note like everyone else." Hwanwoong is nothing if not unromantic.

Still he put the petal back into his pocket and left the hall. 

\--

When he had a free moment, Hwanwoong decided to get some intel from his closest body guard. 

"He has a thing for roses. Is that a family crest or symbol?"

Kim Geonhak thought for a moment. 

"Not that I know of. I think he just likes roses." He gave a tiny shrug.

Geonhak was his closest friend in the palace. Literally closest because they never went anywhere without each other. 

Which reminded him. 

"Why didn't you notice I had rose petals all over me?" He asked. Isn't the bodyguard's job to prevent this sort of thing? 

"Ah." Geonhak paused. "I did actually."

Hwanwoong frowned at him. Then slapped him hard on the chest. 

"Why. Didnt. You. Tell. Me? I. Freaked. Out. For. Days!"

Geonhak laughed like none of the slaps hurt. 

"I thought someone was out to get me!" Hwanwoong was the one that was hurt. 

Geonhak laughed louder. His incredulous tone made it worse. "With rose petals?" 

"What kind of bodyguard are you? I should have you fired." Hwanwoong had been threatening to fire him since the very first day.

"Don't worry, your Highness. I wouldn't let any harm come your way."

Hwanwoong looked at him like he didn't believe a single word. 

"Besides, I thought the idea was kind of sweet. Romantic."

Hwanwoong rolled his eyes. Geonhak is the reason he has heard of the fantastical indulgent romance literature. He always has a small book of such tucked in his pocket.

"Do you guys share literature or is he always that cringey?"

Geonhak's eyes widened. "What did he tell you?"

When Hwanwoong told him, he laughed more. He's starting to think that maybe the guards are conspiring to be annoying just for fun.

"He meant well, your Highness. He is very much in love with you."

"Well he could have left note just like everyone else."

\--

Hwanwoong had been in a very good mood the entire morning. They were expecting guests. Most of whom he didn't care about except his most favourite person in the world. 

As soon as they met, Hwanwoong squished the cheeks of his cousin and held on. 

"How are you, baby Juju?"

"I'm fine." Or something close to that was the reply. Dongju tried his best to free himself from the grip. "Where's your bodyguard?"

Hwanwoong finally let go. "Off somewhere. I thought you came here to see me?"

"I did, I did." Dongju's eyes we're scanning the courtyard. "Thought I'd get some eye candy in the process."

Hwanwoong rolled his eyes, linked arms with his cousin and dragged him away. 

They spent the entire day together. Talking about everything and anything, filling each other in since their last visit. 

They were lounging in one of the day rooms when Hwanwoong rolled over and spotted a rose petal next to him.

He scanned the room and sure enough Geonhak was there in the corner with a slight smile. He sighed and got up. 

"Is this your doing?" He asked, annoyed that his relaxing time was interrupted.

"Maybe." Geonhak was pretending like he was avoiding eye contact while simultaneously looking at Dongju behind Hwanwoong's shoulder.

"Where can I find him?" Hwanwoong asked resigned to the fate that he won't get his peace otherwise.

Geonhak whispered the directions to him and he nodded. He turned to look at Dongju, who gave a little wave and the other man in the room.

"Fine. You have fun now. No funny business." He poked Geonhak in the chest. 

"I have no idea what that is." Geonhak smiled his usual smile.

\--

Hwanwoong found him, the man with the rose, in the next corridor over. He was literally holding a rose. Hwanwoong looked around cautiously and ushered him to the nearest room. 

"What do you-"

"I haven't seen you all day." The man started. "I missed you." He presented the flower. 

Hwanwoong closed his eyes and looked away for a second but took it anyway.

"Are you always like this?" He asked.

"Like what?"

"With the roses and the one-liners."

The man looked confused.

"You know, like a character from a romance novel." Hwanwoong looked up and saw nothing was registering.

"I'm not sure what you mean. I don't really read those novels."

Hwanwoong squinted suspiciously. Usually he can tell if someone is lying or at least stretching the truth a bit. But the man seemed rather innocent in his expression.

Hwanwoong decided for now not to push it.

"What happened to just leaving a note?"

"Ah." The man seemed to have forgotten. "This way seemed faster I think."

Hwanwoong had to give him that.   
Then he realised something.

"So... What's your name?"

They had never been formally introduced. 

"My name is Kim Youngjo." The man said with a bow.

Hwanwoong bowed back. He didn't realise he wa twirling the flower in his hands and unconsciously gave it a sniff.

"And why do you have these roses, Kim Youngjo?"

"My family used to grow them in our farm back home." He seemed so proud of that. "I had a little plant in the back behind the quarters."

"Oh you like gardening?" Hwanwoong mused, he was surprised quite a bit. "You'd get on well with my mother. She loves flowers."

Youngjo's already bright eyes widened.  
"I didn't think I'd get to meet the parents so soon."

Hwanwoong just realised what he said. "No I didn't mean..." But he just laughed. "Well come on, let's introduce you to my family then."

He grabbed Youngjo's wrist and led him out into the corridor. They made their way into the day room. 

"Sorry to interrupt!" Hwanwoong announced himself loudly into the room. 

Dongju was shocked by the sound but didn't get up from Geonhak's lap where he had very comfortably been sitting.

They looked at the new person in the room.

"This is officially a double date now." Hwanwoong said pulling Youngjo to sit next to him. "I'm sure you know them, my cousin and my no longer trustworthy bodyguard."

They sat there, the four of them, comfortably getting to know each other. They talked until sundown and Hwanwoong was absolutely sure by the end of it that there would be no more sudden petals on his robe anymore. 


End file.
